Superlens slabs rely on the coherent superposition of multiply reflected evanescent waves to amplify and restore the fine details of an object at the image plane. If a superlens slab is placed in close proximity to a source object and image detector, similar interactions with these external components can introduce resonances outside of the superlens. In this work, we explore the role of external resonances on single-negative slab superlens performance by considering a complete electromagnetic imaging system containing a physical source object and image detector, each modeled as a planar dielectric half-space. In studying the transmission of spectral components that carry real power through this system, we find that resonances outside the lens can have a dramatic impact on single-negative superlens performance. In particular, we find that the resonances external to a μ-negative lens can be used to extend the imaging range beyond the extreme near field and maintain super-resolution even in the presence of loss.

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